July 2006 Newsletter
Sonoran Desert Homeschoolers
Tucson, Arizona
Reminder: The deadline for August's Newsletter submissions is July 25th!!!
sdhnewsletter@yahoo.com
Summer Teen Fun
by Christie B.
We would like to have a teen bowling night at Santa Rita Lanes on July 8 from 7pm to 9pm. They have the cosmic bowling and special rates for the summer. Please call or email Christie B. so that we can reserve enough lanes.
Newcomer Committee
by Heather M.
I would love to find one or two more members who would be willing to help welcome new families to SDH. This entails handing out newcomer packets at park on Tuesdays, answering questions about homeschooling and SDH, helping new folks join (getting their dues to the Treasurer), and introducing them to other SDH families with kids of similar ages or similar interests. If you are fairly new yourself and don't feel you know enough folks in our group, this is a great way to get to know them! Let me know if you think you might be interested in helping out. Thanks!
Jane Austen Society of North America 2006 Annual General Meeting
Fresh Perspectives on Mansfield Park
A unique opportunity for 10th, 11th and 12th grade students in Tucson
submitted by Carolyn F.
The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) will hold its annual conference in Tucson October 27-28, 2006 at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. This year's theme is "Fresh Perspectives on Mansfield Park", which will give us the opportunity to focus on Jane Austen's most complex and controversial novel.
One of the highlights of our conference program each year is the Young Writer's Workshop, which is hosted by JASNA for the high school students in the conference city. This year, the Young Writer's Workshop will be held Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The students will participate in a workshop conducted by Austen scholar and Professor of English Beth Fowkes Tobin and will write a short essay on one of several topics in the last part of the session. After the session, they will be treated to a high tea, a particularly British indulgence. Participants must be sophomores, juniors or seniors in October.
A panel of judges will invite 12 students to attend our conference sessions and workshops on Saturday, October 28, 2006. In addition, they will select three winning essays, whose writers will be recognized at our banquet that same evening. The best essays will be published and distributed to conference attendees.
We hope that you will encourage your 'young writers' to participate in the workshop and read Mansfield Park over the summer or in the early fall in preparation for the event. We also invite you to accompany them to the September workshop and the conference sessions on Saturday, October 28, so that we can recognize you and show our appreciation for your support of this event. You can find general information about JASNA's 2006 conference at www.jasna.org/agms/tucson.
Please contact me ASAP at 520-749-1984 if you are interested in having students participate in the Young Writer's Workshop or write to me at miguelitodeal@aol.com. The number of workshop participants will be limited to 25, so please reserve space for your students soon!
Sincerely, Mike Deal 520-749-1984 / miguelitodeal@aol.com
Coordinator of the 2006 J. David Grey Young Writer's Workshop
Arizona Opera Student Dress Rehearsal Program 2006-2007
by Donna J.
It's time to sign up for opera tickets. Arizona Opera will give students an opportunity to attend the final dress rehearsal of three of its productions this coming year. Tickets are just $4 each for students and $10 each for adults. In addition, there's a free look-in, a glimpse behind the scenes, showing the work involved in creating an opera.
To sign up, let me know how many adult and how many student tickets you want for each opera and send a check to cover the entire cost of your tickets. Be sure to also include your phone number and email address. Mail everything to my home address, which you can find in the roster. Please make your check out to me, so I can soncolidate our payments. If you have any questions, call me or email me. Please note my new email address on the contact information page of the newsletter. For the first sign up, I must receive your order and ticket payment by July 10. As I did last year, I will try to do additional sign-ups. But this year's operas look a lot more student friendly than last year's, especially Beauty and the Beast, and seats may be quickly taken by school groups. So if you're sure you want tockets, it might be best to sign up this summer.
I'd recommend the dress rehearsals for tweens and teens. Although last year, a few younger children did enjoy them. Remember, these are long performances with only one break, and they usually don't end until about 10 p.m. For instance, Beauty and the Beast is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes long. The look-in is appropriate for all ages and younger kids seemed to really enjoy it last year. All the dress rehearsals take place at the TCC Music Hall. Please see the June newsletter for opera descriptions, or go to the AZ Opera web site: azopera.com.
- Guiseppe Verdi's Macbeth - Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro - Wednesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
- Andre Ernest Modeste Gretry's Beauty and the Beast - Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m.
- Opera Look-In: Madama Butterfly - Saturday, Feb. 3, 12:00 p.m.
Arizona Theatre Company
by Donna J.
I'll be purchasing tickets this month for Arizona Theatre Company's student matinee series, so don't forget to sign up.
Student tickets are $8 each, except for Ella (a musical), which is $10. Adult tickets are $15 for all performances. To sign up, let me know how many adult and how many student tickets you want for each play and send a check to cover the entire cost of your tickets. Be sure to also include your phone number and email address. Mail everything to my home address, which you can find in the roster. Since ATC wants us to submit only one check, please make your check out to me, so I can consolidate our payments. If you have any questions, call me or email me. Please note my new email address on the contact information page of the newsletter. I must receive your order and ticket payment by July 10. If seats are still available, I may be able to do a second sign-up in September. But there's no guarantee. I've been told seats for Twelfth Night will go very fast -- so please don't delay! The actors are usually available for open discussions with the students after each matinee. Generally, ATC recommends the series for students 12 and up. But their coordinator did advise me that she didn't think Jitney would be appropriate for tweens. I have scripts for the play, so if you have any questions about content, call or email me. Please see last month's newsletter for a description of each play.
- Twelfth Night or What You Will - by William Shakespeare, 10:30 a.m., Sept. 21 or Sept. 26 (date depends on ticket availability)
- Jitney - by August Wilson, 10:30 a.m., Nov. 7
- Ella - Book by Jeffery Hatcher, conceived by Rob Ruggiero & Dyke Garrison, based on a play by Dyke Farrison, musical directions and arrangements Danny Holgate, 10:30 a.m., Dec. 12, cost: $10 for students.
- Molly's Delicious - by Craig Wright, 10:30 a.m., March 30.
UApresents for the 2006-2007 Season!
by Alica M.
Ok I have the list for the school matinees for this next season. All shows are held at Centennial Hall on the UofA campus. We will meet in front of Centennial Hall at 9:45am, and we are seated as a group. Seats are $6 each. Please make checks out to The University of Arizona. I need to know which shows you wish to attend and how many kids and adults per show. Please only one adult per family as seats are limited. The deadline for the first sign-up is July 24th. To sign-up with me you must be a member of SDH. You
can find more information about the shows at www.uapresents.org. To contact me you can email Dragonhawk4@cox.net, call 740-0379, or to mail me your info and a check, Alica McKenna-Johnson, 2632 N Stone #7 Tucson, AZ 85705.
- Inti-Illimani Fri, Oct. 20th
- Momix Opus Cactus Thurs, Nov. 9th
- Mombasa Party Tues, Nov. 14th, Featuring the Royal Drummers of Burundi
- Interpreti Veneziani Fri, Jan. 19th
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band Fri, Feb. 16th
- Ballet Hispanico Fri, March 2nd
- Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Mon, March 12th
For Your Information
by Danetta M.
For those that don't know me, I homeschooled my oldest son from the 3rd grade on through high school and was one of the charter members of this homeschool group. Aron entered the University of Arizona with a homeschool transcript, confirmation of academic ability with several transfer credits from Pima Community College, and good SAT (college entrance exam) scores. He graduated in Economics and took a job as a financial planner up in Phoenix. He missed Tucson and didn't like financial planning, so he decided to look for work in Tucson. At 21, working in the Police Department appealed to him.
In Arizona you must have a high school diploma or GED to work in any Arizona (state) law enforcement department. They did not care one whit that Aron had a college degree. That was fine, but where was his high school diploma?? This week he paid $70 to take the 5 parts over 2 days for a GED AFTER he has graduated from college! So stupid! He did not study at all and said nothing about the test, so it must not have been too traumatic. Results back in 2 weeks.
It seems that no matter how we try to escape, society traps us into doing its will! Anyway, this is a heads up for anyone whose child is planning to go into law enforcement in the state of Arizona. I have no knowledge about Federal requirements.
Best wishes, Danetta
July's Featured Websites
by Debbie G.
The Visual Elements of the Periodic Table - from the Royal Society of Chemistry
Fireworks! - from NOVA Online
Visit the companion web site to the 2002 NOVA episode, Fireworks! to view video clips, discover the anatomy of a firework, and explore a virtual laboratory.
Fact Finder Kids' Corner - from the U.S Census Bureau
Comprehensive collection of facts about the fifty states, plus interactive quizzes.
United States Census 2000 Teaching Materials - from the U.S. Census Bureau
Activities, worksheets, and teaching suggestions for material related to the U.S. Census; includes a link for information about ordering a free teaching kit plus a 4 ft. X 6 ft. wall map.
Listen to Nature - from the British Library
This site presents 400 sound recordings selected from the British Library Sound Archive. Select from birds, reptiles, aquatic animals, frogs and toads, insects, land mammals, and soundscapes.
Also...visit the SDH Featured Web Site page at
and check out past collections at
SDH Monthly Parent Opportunities
Every month of the year, SDH has opportunities for parents to meet, talk, and get to know each other better.
Mom's Coffee Night
Currently, Mom's Coffee Night is held on the last Wednesday of every month at Something Sweet, located at 5319 E. Speedway. That's at the NE corner of Speedway and Beverly (the Office Depot store is on the intersection's NW corner and Live Theater Workshop is in the same plaza). We get together at 7:30 pm, but don't worry if you can't make it at 7:30 - many of us stay until midnight! We chat, laugh, and generally have a great time. It is a great way to get to know others better and there is always a mix of parents of younger or older children so you can ask lots of questions.
Dad's Coffee Night
Dad's Coffee Night is the first Wednesday of each month. This is an opportunity for fathers to discuss homeschooling issues, as well as other topics. Please join us at Borders on Oracle for coffee, tea, good company and conversation. This casual meeting starts around 7:30 pm. Contact Jeff O. for more information.
Parents' Book Discussion Group
The Parents' Book Discussion is held the 3rd Thursday of each month at Something Sweet, 5319 E. Speedway, 7:00 pm. Questions? Contact Lara B.
2006
- July: The Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill
- August: The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
- September: The Death of Innocents by Helen Prejean
- October: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- November: Protecting the Gift by Gavin de Becker
- December: Mapping Time by E.G. Richards
2007
- January: Kissing the Virgin's Mouth by Donna Gershtwn
- February: Think: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made In the Blink of an Eye by Michael R. LeGault
- March: The Light of Day by Jamie Saul
- April: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Selfe
- May: Straight Man by Richard Russo
- June: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- July: Feakanomics by Steven Levitt
Note: Some of the above books may have a waiting list at the library. If you plan to get a selection from the library, you may want to look into putting an early hold on it.
Sonoran Desert Homeschoolers is an open, not-for-profit home education network, providing social and creative outlets for homeschooling families. We are not devoted to any one homeschooling approach, political platform, religious outlook, or philosophical ideal. Our homeschooling community supports all families, regardless of their personal lifestyle, or educational choices in the area of home education. Our motto is "hozho", a Navajo word meaning "harmony" or "walking in beauty of friendship".
